Sliding door



@et 12 1926. f 1602,997

J. H. BECKWITH SLIDING DOOR Filed July 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2Sheets-Sheet g I Mlll. IIIMA Uil J. H. BEcK'weTH sLDING DOOR Filed July16, 1925 Patented Oct. l2, 1926.

JOSEPH H. BEGKWITH, OF LOCKESBURG, ARKANSAS.

SLIDING DOOR.

Application filed .Tuly 16, 1925. Serial No. 44,058.

This invention relates to improvements in sliding doors and windows andmore particularly to that type in which two vertically slidable sectionsare connected so as to balance each other and provide for lowering ofone section when the other section is elevated, and vice versa.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a door orwindow structure ot the type rei-erred to above so constructed that thesections thereof will be equally balanced in a manner to insure ot'smooth and even sliding adjustment of the sections in opening andclosing the door.

Another object or" the invention is to so construct the door that thesliding movement ot the sections thereof will be limited `when they havereached their open or their closed position, thereby preventing any suchmovement ot the sections beyond open and closed position which would be`liable to cause disarrangement of the connections provided tor thesections.

Another object ot the invention is to provide novel means whereby theconnections ot each section may be adjusted so as tov insure perf-ectbalancing of the sections with relation to each other and thus insure ofeven movement of the sections when adjusted.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation ot a sliding door constructed inaccordance with the present invention, parts being broken away and partsbeing shown in section to better illustrate the invention, the sectionsof the door being in closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view takensubstantially on theline 3 3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The invention may find embodiment in doors for elevators, warehouses,garages, etc., or the principles thereof may be embodied in theconstruction of windows of varices types. In the embodiment of theinvention illustrated inthe drawings, the numeral 1 indicates in generalthe'jamb of the door trame," and the numeral 2 indicates in general thelintel ot' the trame, the sill ot the frame beingindicated by thenumeral 3. The jamb 1 preferably comprises a hollow structure includingspaced walls 4 between the edges ot which, which are presented at thedoor opening, there is arranged a con necting or partition wall 5`which, together with said edge portions oi' the wall 4, constitutes aguide 6 for the upper section 01"? the door, which section is indicatedingen eral by the numeral 7. A similar partition wall 8 is arrangedbetween the walls 4 and the lower portion of the jamb and each of thewalls 8 occupies a plane spaced inwardly a short distance Jfrom theplane occupied by the respective wall 5, the said walls 8 and the walls4 constituting a guide 9 for the lower section of the door, whichsection is indicated in general by the numeral 10. The floor of thebuilding of which the door constitutes al part, is indicated by thenumeral 11, and the floor is provided at the sill 3, with a slot12 topermit of downward sliding movement of the lower section 10 of the door.It found desirable or expedient, a housing 13 may be provided beneaththe iloor 11 to accommodate the lower section of the door when saidsection is in its lowered or open position, but, in any event, the walls8 will preferably be extended below the fioor line so as to properlyguide the lower section of the door when the same is lowered. The lintel2 comprises a lintel proper which is indicated by the numeral 14 andwhich denes the upper side of the door way, and preferably, the walls 5are eXtended above the said lintel proper to a sutlicient height tosuitably guide the upper section ot the door when the same is slidupwardly to open position.

The door sections 7 and 10 may be of any construction found suitable,depending upon the size of the door.. as a whole, and the char acter ofthe `buildin-g or other structure in which it is to be installed. In theillustrated embodiment of the invention, the upper section 7 of the doorcomprises end Stiles 1,5, a top rail 1.6, abottom rail 17, and.

a panel 1S arranged within the Ytrame constituted by the stiles andrails. ln a like manner, the lower section comprises end stiles 19, topand bottom rails 2O and 21, and a panel 22. ytherefore, the stiles ofthe upper section work slidably in the guides G of the jamb 1, and thestiles 19 ot the door section 10 work slidably in the guides 9 ot thesaid jamb. It will be observed by reference to Figure 2 ot the drawings,that the guides 6 and 9 are located in the same vertical plane so thatthe door sections 7 and 10 likewise occupy a common plane. In order thatthe doors may be connected for sliding movement in unison and maybalance each other, a cable or other flexible element 23 isseeured atone Vend, as at 24, to the outer edge of each stile 15 or' the uppersection 7 oit the door and is led upwardly along` the inner side ot therespective wall 5 of the lintel 14 and over a pulley mounted in the wall5 near the upper end of the upwardly extended portion thereof. The cable23 is led downwardly Jfrom the pulley 25 and connected to the respectivestile 19 ot the lower door section 10 through the medium of anadjustable connection 26 which is best illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 ofthe drawings.

The stiles 19 of the lower door section 10 are formed with grooves 27 intheir outer edges to accommodate the stretches ot the respective cable23, and the outer edge oit each stile is further formed with a recess toaccommodate the connecting device 26, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and4 of the drawings. rlfhe said device comprises a sheet metal housing 29secured in place within the upper portion ot the recess 28 through themedium, of screws or other suitable fastening elements 30. The upper endof the housing or easing` 29 abuts against the upper end of the recess28, and the casing is open at its side which is presented toward thewall 8 of the respective jamb. The casing at its lower end is closed bya bottom piece 31, and the said bottom piece is formed with an opening32 through which is litted a threaded shank 33 at. the lower end of ananchoring member 34 preferably of the cross sectional contour shown inFigure 3 of' the drawings, The anchoring member 34 is formed with anopening 35 located near its upper end and with an opening located at itsintermediate portion, and the lower end of the respective cable 23 isfitted through the opening 35 from one side of the member, thence leddownwardly through al groove 37 formed in the other side or the member,land thence threaded through the opening 36, a ring 3S being securedabout the member below the opening 36 and anchoring the. lower' end ofthe cable. il nut 39 is threaded onto the threaded shank 33 oftheanchoring member 34. and bears against a washer 40 which, in turn,engages the under side of the bottom piece 31 of the casing 29. At thispoint it will be evident that by applying a wrench to the nut 39, therespective cable 23 may be slackened or taken up so that should it befound that the door sections are not evenly hung, this may becompensated for by adjusting one o-r the other of the connectingdevices.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that by raisingthe upper door section 7 or lowering the lower section 10, the sectionsbeing in the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings,the other section will be moved in the opposite direction until thelower edge ot the upper section is, in the full open position of thesections, substantially flush with the lintel proper 14, and the upperedge of the lower section is substantially tlush with the sill 3.Movement of the door sections to closed position may be ellected bylowering the upper section or raising the lower section.

is a convenient means for adjusting the door sections, a cable or othertiezrible element 41 is preferably connected at its ends, as at 42, tothe upper rail 15 of the upper section 7 and passed over pulleys 48 atthe top of the lintel olf' the door iframe, and thence downwardly withits intermediate portion 'passing through an eye upon the lower rail 17ot the said upper door section. By pulling down upon the stretches ofthe flexible element 41, which stretches extend between the eyes 43 and44, the upper section of the door will be slid upwardly and the lowersection will, by gravity, assume a lowered position.

Bv reference to Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be observed that whenthe door sections are in closed position, the upper cor ners of thelower section will abut agains the lower ends of the respective walls 6o` the jamb, and likewise, the upper edge olI the said lower sectionwill abut against the lower edge of the upper section.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim is:

1. ln combination with a frame including' jambs, each of the jambscomprising transversely spaced walls and upper and lower partitionsconnecting the spaced walls, the lower partition being inset from theupper partition and upper and lower closure sections slidable in thejambs, the lower seetion extending between the lower partitions andlimited in its upward movement by contact with the lower ends of theupper partitions.

2. ln combination with a trame including jambs, each of the jambscomprising transversely spaced walls and upper and lower partitionsconnectingthe spaced walls. the lower partition being inset from the llUupper partition, upper and lower closure sections slidable in the jambs,the lower section extending between the lower partitions and limited inits upward movement by contact with the lower ends of the upperpartitions, guide pulleys at the top of the upper partitions, flexibleelements passing vover said pulleys and connected at one end to theupper closure section, an anchoring member connected to the other end ofeach of the 10 flexible elements and formed with a thread ed shank, ahousing let into each of the Stiles of the lower closure section andhaving its bottoni apertured to receive the threaded shank and a nut oneach kof the threaded l5 Shanks to adjust the flexible elements.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature. JOSEPH H. BECKWITH.- [1.. s]

